An audio processing system (e.g., a mobile phone, cordless phones) may have multiple modes of operation, wherein acoustic signals are routed between a variety of elements such as built-in microphones and speakers. The aforementioned elements may be included in wired or wireless headsets, as well as base stations or cradles having built-in hands-free capability therefor. A user of the audio processing system may switch between the aforementioned elements through, for example, plugging in a headset or powering on a Bluetooth™ headset/earbud.
The audio output of the audio processing system may be sensitive to background noise and, therefore, a variety of techniques are available to characterize the external environment of the audio processing system through grouping (and later, separating) sources associated with the background noise. The aforementioned characterization may be utilized in conjunction with efficient noise cancelation algorithms to suppress acoustic noise through the audio processing system. An audio sensor may be provided in the audio processing system to capture audio signals associated with the background noise. Thus, the capability of the audio processing system to isolate sources of background noise from the audio output thereof may be limited to the capabilities of the audio sensor.